


Sumireco's Story

by Kilgamayan



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F, Gen, Hifuu Club, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Tenco's Story, rocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 11:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5538689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kilgamayan/pseuds/Kilgamayan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wishes for historical information, a great birthday, and an improved sibling relationship all intertwine as an unusual collection of Gensokyo natives gets the chance to see what the outside world has to offer in this day and age.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sumireco's Story

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Shidiand as a part of the 2015 Tumblr Touhou Secret Santa.

_“Kyahaha, look! She’s sleeping again!”_

_“What an idiot! She’s going to flunk out at this this rate!”_

_“Shh! Here comes the teacher!”_

 

\---

 

“Hrmmmm…”

 

The Taoist hermit found herself thankful for her career in politics, for she imagined a lesser woman would have lost her patience with her conversation partner long ago. Even then, she could feel her inner eye beginning to twitch.

 

“…No, I really got nothing. Sorry.  History was never my thing.”

 

Miko sighed at the confession. It seemed as though this had been a large waste of time.

 

“But I HAVE heard of you before, like I said! You gotta be famous! And I’m pretty sure you’re on some of the older bills…though they’re out of circulation…and I think you were a dude with a moustache…?”

 

Miko cleared her throat to interrupt. “Yes, of course. Thank you, Miss Usami, for your willingness to indulge our curiosities.”

 

“Sorry. It’d be better if you could ask my sister. She and, uh…her best friend know more about this sort of thing than I do. I guess that’s not really an option, though, huh?”

 

“Unfortunately not.”

 

“Well, maybe it will be someday? This place is all kinds of weird. Who knows what-oh crap, gotta go! Class is letting out! Later!”

 

With that hasty goodbye, Sumireko faded into nothing, leaving Miko and her two subordinates bemused on the steps of the Hakurei Shrine.

 

Tojiko blinked in response to the sudden disappearance. “She seems…I am not sure I even have a word to describe her properly, Crown Prince. What a unique character.”

 

Futo nodded. “While I did never believe thy tales to be false, Crown Prince, I still have a hard time believing such a person could exist.”

Miko nodded absentmindedly, glancing over to the other side of the steps at her host as Reimu sipped from her tea cup. Was that the smallest hint of a smirk?

 

“I do not wish to speak ill of one that may be able to tell us of our place in human history, but I must admit I do wish we had a more reliable source of such information. Particularly as I do not know when she will return.”

 

“…Perhaps we should set the issue aside from the time being, Crown Prince?”

 

“Oh, you’ll have another chance to ask her stuff soon enough.”

 

The Taoists looked across the steps to see Reimu side-eyeing them, still working on her tea.

 

“I’m probably going to regret saying this, but if you really want to see her again, she’ll probably be by again this evening, after she goes to bed. I’m still not quite sure how it works, but it seems like she can show up here when she’s asleep.”

 

Miko rubbed her chin in thought. “Mmm…I suppose we could, perhaps, seek her out again. Hopefully she will think to ask this sister of hers, and relay whatever information she…Miss Reimu, what is the matter?”

 

The shrine maiden’s grin had become much clearer since she pulled the cap away from her mouth. She turned to look directly at her princely guest, running a finger along her upper lip.

 

“So tell me more about this moustache of yours.”

 

\---

 

The moon was creeping higher its way up the sky by the time the Taoists returned to the Hakurei Shrine. Their excitement upon seeing a guest already present, chatting away with another figure with a broom, turned to curiosity when that guest turned out to not be the girl from the outside world, but a tall, elegantly-dressed woman with short, dark violet hair. She turned away from Reimu to look at and bow to the hermits as they landed, a calm smile on her face.

 

“Greetings, friends of Miss Reimu. To whom do I owe this pleasure?”

 

Miko and her subordinates returned the gesture. “A good evening to yourself. My name is Toyosatomimi no Miko, and I am but a simple Taoist hermit. These are Futo of the Mononobe clan and Tojiko of the Soga clan, my two closest advisors.”

 

The youkai’s eyes lit up. “Taoist hermits, you say? How interesting indeed. I am Iku of the Nagae, and I serve as an envoy of the Dragon Palace in Bhava-agra.”

 

The Taoists started at the news. “A representative of the Dragon Palace, here in Gensokyo?” Tojiko asked. “Truly? To what do we owe the honor of your presence?”

 

Iku giggled. “I am afraid my visit to the Hakurei Shrine is not as formal as you may think. While my mission is important, I am not here on official Bhavagran business. I am merely awaiting the arrival of another visitor.”

 

“Oh yeah, I told you gals to come back tonight, didn’t I?” Reimu said. “From what Iku has told me, it sounds like you’re all waiting for Sumireko. I don’t want all of you overwhelming her when she gets here, got it? It’s bad enough that she can get here at all, being surrounded by weirdos can only make things worse.”

 

The four guests nodded. “I promise not to make any sort of scene, Miss Reimu,” Iku added.

 

Before Miko could also reply in the affirmative, the form of the school girl faded into existence, gently dropping on her hands and knees. She looked up, spotted Miko, and jabbed a finger at her, ignoring Reimu and the unknown violet-haired woman.

 

“You! You’re still here! I got news for you!”

 

Sumireko scrambled to her feet and made her way toward Miko.

 

“There’s a teacher at my school who’s really weird! I only just met her today, and she looks an awful lot like my sister’s friend, but a lot older! Isn’t that weird? I can’t believe I’d never seen her before! But what’s even weirder is that she knows about this place too!”

 

Reimu gave a start. “Wait, WHAT? Someone else on the outside knows about us?”

 

“I know, right? She even produced your name…” Sumireko pointed from Reimu to Miko. “…And yours, too! But the weirdest part was when she said she could actually bring you three to our side! How bizarre is that, that she just appears and says that after I said you’d have an easier time just talking to my sister yourself?!”

 

The Taoists were struck speechless, hardly noticing Iku reacting the same way. Eventually, Futo spoke up.

 

“This scholar of thine…she can take us to the outside world? Did she say how?”

 

Sumireko shook her head. “She didn’t even tell me her name. And I didn’t even see her leave! I turned around and she was gone! And how is she gonna do anything tomorrow, anyway? Tomorrow is Saturday! There are no classes on Saturday!”

 

The Taoists exchanged glances.

 

“This is…quite mysterious and suspicious, I dare say. What else can you tell us about this woman? Did she say how she plans to accomplish this feat, or how we would be able to return?”

 

“Well, uh…not really. She kinda hand-waved me when I asked about how it worked. Oh, she did at least say that she won’t do more than three, because ‘things get unstable’ if there are too many people. Lucky for you that-huh?”

 

Sumireko stopped as Reimu put her hand up. “Hooooooold on a minute. What did your teacher look like?”

 

“Like I said, she looked like an older version of-oh, wait, hahaha! I guess that doesn’t help any of you, does it? She was pretty tall, with long blonde hair. She was definitely really attr-!”

 

Sumireko blushed slightly and put her hand over her mouth.

 

“Er, uh, no! I mean, she looked a lot like those pretty women on TV! I bet she could be a model if she wanted to.”

 

Reimu gave Sumireko a confused look, then quickly shook her head. “And just when would they get back?”

 

“Tomorrow night, she said. Not a long enough time, if you ask me.”

 

“Mmmmmmm…I bet I know what’s going here. I think this is legit, but I have a bad feeling about it.” Reimu gestured to the Taoists. “I’d say go ahead and take the offer, but I’d strongly suggest that not all three of you go. I don’t fully trust this to not be dangerous to you three in particular.”

 

Futo frowned. “Art thou certain about this? If thou think this opportunity to be true, surely we must take advantage of is as much as possible.”

 

Reimu shook her head again. “My intuition is right way more often than not. For the sake of your safety, I’d leave at least one of you here.”

 

“Ahem.”

 

Everyone turned to look at the owner of the cleared throat. Iku still wore her calm smile, but there was the light of opportunity in her eyes now as well.

 

“Please forgive my interruption, but if I may be selfish, I have a request that may help resolve this issue.”

 

“Huh? Who’re you?”

 

Iku bowed to Sumireko. “Good evening, Miss Usami. My name is Iku Nagae, and I serve as a messenger of Bhava-Agra. I have come here this evening to seek your assistance; a dear friend of mine is celebrating her birthday tomorrow, and I was at a complete loss for what to do for her. From what I have heard about you, it sounds like you and she are rather similar, so I thought I would find out what interests you and work from here.”

 

Sumireko looked over to a snort-snickering Reimu before eyeing Iku. “Uh…is that a good thing?”

 

“I assure you, I speak with the best of intentions. I care very much for this friend of mine.”

 

Sumireko didn’t look fully convinced, but Miko spoke up before she could question the sentiment further. “Pardon me, Lady Nagae, but you said you _were_ at a loss for what to do for your friend. Does this mean this issue has since been resolved?”

 

Iku’s smile wavered for just a moment. “…Possibly. I…realize that we have only just met, Miss Toyosatomimi, but may I ask of you a great favor?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“My friend, Tenshi is her name, has always had a grand sense of adventure, and a bit of wanderlust. It seems Bhavagran life does not completely agree with her. If you are willing…I would like to give her the opportunity to explore the outside world.”

 

Miko was silent for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “Very well. It would be our honor to assist a Bhavagran messenger in this quest. May I assume you will be accompanying her?”

 

Iku blinked, taken aback at the question. “I…is that all right? I had not really thought about myself…”

 

Miko waved a hand dismissively. “Think nothing of it. As exciting as the opportunity is, we do not all need to take advantage of it to obtain what we ultimately seek. Truly, only one of us needs to go. It would be better, I believe, for you to accompany your friend for her birthday than to send her off on her own with a collection of strangers.”

 

“I…this is very generous of you, Miss Toyosatomimi. Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart! I will, some day, find a way to repay your kindness. I promise you this.”

 

Sumireko shrugged. “Sure, whatever you girls want. But, uh…” She looked to Reimu. “Is that okay? I don’t really know who these Baklava people are.”

 

“It’ll be fine. Iku’s one of the least offensive people I’ve ever met, honestly. Tenshi, well….she’ll probably be fine if Iku’s around.”

 

“If you say so.” Sumireko looked back to the Taoists. “Which one of you is gonna go, then?”

 

Miko indicated her ghostly advisor, who was taken aback by the gesture. “Tojiko will join you. Please take good care of her while you are all off on your adventures.”

 

“W-wait a minute, Crown Prince! Surely you should be taking advantage of this opportunity yourself?!”

 

“I must insist, my dear. You have sacrificed of yourself to do so much for myself, and for Futo as well. It is only right that we give this opportunity to you.”

 

Tojiko looked toward her fellow advisor, who was nodding in agreement with a smile.

 

“I am in agreement with the Crown Prince, Tojiko. Please, return with some grand tales for us.”

 

“…Of course. Thank you both so much! I promise I will not disappoint you!”

 

Iku looks to Sumireko. “It seems our little traveling party has been decided, then. What should we do now?”

 

“Be here in the morning. Teach said she’ll take care of the rest.”

 

Reimu snorted with irritation as she turned around and made her back into her shrine. “Figures. In that case, everyone should go home. I’m going to bed. If any of you lunks wakes me up early, you’ll get sent to the outside world in a sling.”

 

Giving their respective goodbyes to their shrine maiden host and to each other, Iku and the Taoists departed with warmer hearts than when they had arrived. Silence befitting the night returned to the Hakurei Shrine exterior.

 

Until a certain schoolgirl voiced her confusion aloud.

 

“Umm…but I’m already **in** bed…”

 

\---

 

_Bam. Bam. Bam._

 

“C’mon, sleepyhead! It’s time to get up! Rise and shine in there!”

 

The brunette grunted in half-asleep irritation at the shouting. Didn’t she **just** warn Sumireko about this last night?

 

Shifting a little bit in her futon lifted the brunette’s spirits as she found the warmth of the blonde that shared it. Wrapping her arms around her best friend and squeezing gently elicited a contented murmur from the sleeping beauty. There was no place she’d rather be right now than snuggling with the one she cared about above all others, tucked away together under the comforts of the warm, soft futon. Truly, this was heaven.

 

“We have guests, Renko!”

 

_Guests? Why is anyone…oh, right, Sumi said something yesterday about a surprise today, didn’t she? But why the hell are there other people here this early?_

 

Groaning in disappointment in needing to separate herself from her friend, Renko rolled herself over enough to not disturb Mary as she extricated herself from the futon. After getting a good stretch in, she changed into her proper attire and, with one last wistful look at the sleeping blonde, left the bedroom and headed toward the source of her sister’s shouting.

 

The sight when she entered the sitting room completely threw her for a loop. Sumireko was standing there, arms folded across her chest, grinning with the triumph of a villain that had just conquered the planet. Sitting scattered about the room were three people she had never seen before, with clothes that looked out of this world and hair colors that looked downright impossible in their naturality. The long blue-haired one was looking around the room in mild fascination, while the short violet-haired woman looked at her with an oddly serene smile. The…what color of hair even **was** that? And what were those two white blobs coming out of the bottom of her dress? And where were her legs? And why was she wearing a _tate eboshi_?

 

“Uh…bluh?”

 

Sumireko’s grin somehow spread wider.

 

“I told you I’d have a surprise for you today!”

 

Renko rubbed her eyes in disbelief at the scene, barely registering that two of the strange women were speaking

 

“Outside world houses sure have some weird stuff, huh, Iku?”

 

“Now, now, Tenshi, be polite while we are guests in this home.”

 

“What? They do! It’s not like it’s bad, it’s just…weird!”

 

Renko looked at her older sister. “What’s going on, Sumi? Are these friends of yours?”

 

“Yep! Well, kind of. I only just met them yesterday and today. But don’t worry, they’re fine.” Sumireko looked to the Gensokyo natives and gestured at Renko. “Hey everyone, this is Renko, my little sister. You should go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

 

The violet-haired woman stood and gave Renko a bow. “Good morning. I am Iku, and I serve as a messenger for the Dragon Palace in Bhava-agra. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Renko.”

 

The blue-haired woman gave a small two-finger salute, not bothering to stand. “Yo. I’m Tenshi. What’s doin’?” She jerked a thumb upward. “I’m from Heaven, way up in the sky, just like Iku is.”

 

The woman in the green dress…wait, was she **floating**?

 

“Greetings. I am Tojiko, of the Soga clan. I serve under the Crown Prince, Toyosatomimi no Miko. It is my understanding that today’s historical records document the Crown Prince’s life and rule under the name Shoutoku-Taishi.”

 

Renko looked back and forth between the new arrivals, the disbelief on her face growing with each shift in focus. Finally, after looking at her grinning sister again, she shook her head and started to make her way back to the bedroom.

 

“It’s way too early in the morning for this, Sumi. I’m going back to bed.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait! Renko! Don’t leave!” Sumireko sprang into action, dashing across the room and cutting off her sister’s escape. “They’re all serious! They’re all from Gensokyo, that place I was telling you and Mary about!”

 

“You mean that fantasy land you only see in your dreams when you fall asleep in class?”

 

“Yes! Wait, no! Well, uh, okay, yes, yes! C’mon, Renko, I’m telling the truth!”

 

Renko only rolled her eyes and started trying to push her way past her sister.

 

“Please! You saw for yourself, Tojiko is a ghost! You can’t deny that!”

 

Renko stopped and slowly turned back around to look at the woman in green. Tojiko was looking at the both of them with a slightly uncomfortable expression, clearly unsure of what to do about the bickering sisters. Tenshi, meanwhile, was unsuccessfully stifling her snickering, despite Iku’s best hushed admonishments.

 

“Oh, um, sorry, Miss Tojiko! I didn’t mean to just state it like that!”

 

Shaking off the uncomfortable expression for a moment, Tojiko shrugged. “Your concern is appreciated, but my condition is a fact of reality that I have long since come to accept. Attempting to be delicate about the subject will not change who or what I am.”

 

Renko looked the alleged ghost up and down. She had to admit, she had no idea how else to explain that Tojiko appeared to be floating. Eventually, she pointed to the white blobs.

 

“…So, uh, are those, like…ghost legs, or something?”

 

“Ostensibly, yes.”

 

“So, like, if I tried to touch them, would my hand go through them, or…?”

 

Tojiko blinked. “I...am honestly not sure. I have not exactly had cause to let other people touch my legs since becoming a ghost. I hope you understand.”

 

“Oh. Uh, right. Sorry.”

 

“It is quite all right. I understand that an outside world human would be curious about such things.”

 

“Renko…? What’s going on?”

 

The women in the sitting room turned to look at the source of the voice. Standing there was Mary, dressed in her usual attire, looking at the strangers with a half-asleep curiosity.

 

“Mary! Did we wake you up? I’m so sorry!”

 

“No, no, it’s okay…but who are your friends?”

 

“Uh…” Renko looked to her sister with uncertainty. “…You tell her.”

 

“Sure, sure. Sorry to wake up you, Mary. We have a few guests from Gensokyo, which I’ve told you and Renko about before. Come on in and say hello.”

 

Sumireko moved out of Mary’s way and back into the sitting room proper, allowing Mary to enter it herself.

 

“Um…hello, Sumi’s friends. My name is Maribel Hearn. You can call me Mary, though. I’m in the same class as Renko. Nice to meet you all.”

 

The three Gensokyo natives introduced themselves in turn as before. When Tojiko finished the introductions, Mary asked, “Did I hear you say you were a ghost? What’s it like?”

 

Tojiko thought about the question for a moment, and then shrugged. “It is not really that much different than being human. The only major difference I have noticed so far is that I do not need to sleep anymore.”

 

“Huh. Wow. That’s actually pretty amazing…”

 

Renko frowned slightly. “What are you thinking, Mary?”

 

“…Honestly? I believe them, Renko. I think Sumi and her friends are telling the truth.”

 

Renko ignoring the relief washing over her sister’s now-smiling face. “I see. Well…if you say so, then I believe you. And I guess I can’t really think of a logical explanation for Tojiko’s…condition. But that begs a different question. What brings all of you here? I can’t imagine it’s very easy to get here, since Sumi had never been able to prove Gensokyo existed. Honestly, I thought she was just making it all up.”

 

Tenshi grinned. “Don’t know about Miss Ghost over there, but Iku and I are here on a date for my birthday!”

 

Iku blinked. “I did not realize we were dating, Tenshi. When did this happen?”

 

“Like a while ago, when I told you we were! Geez, you should listen to me sometimes, y’know?”

 

“Mmm. I suspect most of Bhava-Agra is not aware of this. Even The Dragon may be in the dark. Perhaps we should discuss it further once we are home.”

 

“Huh? I guess if you want to, but I don’t see what there is to discuss.”

 

Iku looked back to the humans, noting that Sumireko was oddly flushed and tense. “Anyway, we are here to see what the outside world has to offer in this era. We are most curious to explore your land.”

 

Tojiko nodded. “I am similarly curious, but I am also here with the task of learning about how the Crown Prince is perceived by history. In fact, Miss Usami tells me the two of you happen to be well-versed in this country’s history. I was hoping to learn any information I could from the two of you that I could then report back to the Crown Prince.”

 

Renko blinked. “Huh. Shoutoku-Taishi, you said? Yeah, everyone knows who he is.” She grinned. “Well, everyone that doesn’t sleep through history class all the time knows who he is, anyway.”

 

Sumireko bristled. “It’s not my fault Gensokyo’s far more interesting than that class! Maybe if you get Iwakuma-sensei when you reach my grade, you’ll start to hate it too.”

 

Renko snickered. “Anyway, yeah, we can probably fill you in on at least the important stuff. Actually, no, I have a better idea. Wait one moment.”

Renko escaped down the hallway and disappeared into a side room, reappearing several seconds later with a book in hand. She handed it to Tojiko.

 

“There you go. That’s an historical biography about him that was published just a couple of years back. It’ll tell you about his life and his legacy.”

 

“I see. Thank you very much for this. Though…” Tojiko giggled a bit. “I notice you keep saying ‘he’. I suppose this means the Crown Prince’s legacy was recorded just as **she** desired it to be.”

 

“…Wait, what? ‘She’?”

 

Tojiko nodded. “The Crown Prince is, and always has been, a woman. It was her desire to be portrayed as male, out of worry that leaders of foreign nations, and possibly scholars in the immediate future or even her own subjects, would not take a female leader seriously. Women were seen as less than men in those days.” Her smile turned to a scowl. “Particularly women such as she and I.”

 

Mary looked confused. “What do you mean?”

 

“The Crown Prince…she and I were lovers, back in our time. I was not her only one, but near as I can tell, I was her most loyal, most devoted, and most cherished.” Tojiko seemed to get lost in her own memories for a bit, missing the shocked looks on the humans’ faces. “Regardless, for all that she loved her country, it is most unfortunate that such an amount of time has passed and her country has not sought to correct the inaccuracies she was forced to put forth.”

 

“…Wow, uh, yeah. I’d definitely never heard about that or seen it written anywhere,” Renko said.

 

“It will be what it will be. To be honest, how the world remembers us is, in the long run, largely inconsequential, as it will not cause us to stray from the paths we have chosen. But it is a curiosity nonetheless. While we no longer rule this country, we love it and wish it the best no less.”

 

Tojiko then chuckled. “But enough about me. This book will be tremendously useful, so I thank you very much for it.” The ghost gestured to Tenshi. “With my mission ostensibly complete, I believe the order or the rest of the day was a proper exploration of this land, as a birthday celebration? I hope you do not mind the extra company.”

 

Tenshi grinned. “Doesn’t bother me none! No reason I can’t share the wonders of the outside world.”

 

Iku looked to Sumireko. “What are we to do, then? I imagine we are to pretend to be humans should we run into any others, as it would not do to let on that Gensokyo exists more than absolutely necessary.”

 

“Don’t worry, we have ways of getting around just fine. And yeah, if anyone asks, we’ll just say you girls are in cosplay.”

 

Sumireko looked over to Tojiko, who glanced down at her legs before looking back up with a skeptical look on her face.

 

“…Really, **really** complicated cosplay.”

 

\---

 

The view out the train window was unlike anything the non-humans had ever seen before. Gensokyo had scenery, sure, but it did not quite have the rolling foresty hills that the outside world had. Certainly it did not have the volume or style of houses present in some of those hills, nor did it have any major cities or rivers.

 

Watching the scenery pass her by, it occurred to Iku that, even if Bhava-Agra or Gensokyo did have some of these things, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate them in this capacity. There was very little travel in Gensokyo that was not self-propelled flight – and certainly none of the alternatives afforded this level of speed or luxury – and flight was required to move from island to island in Bhava-Agra. For the first time since she could remember, Iku found herself completely able to focus on the land as it whizzed by. There was something therapeutic about being able to relax for such a long period of time. She could feel her eyes closing a little bit and her mouth stretching into a serene smile as she listened to the conversation around her.

 

“This is awesome! Look at how fast we’re going!”

 

“Indeed. This is truly a marvel of modern human ingenuity. Such traveling methods were inconceivable in my time.”

 

“And you’re sure this doesn’t run on magic?”

 

“Yep. This train runs on electricity. It’s used to power a huge motor that essentially rotates all of the wheels at once through lots and lots of levers and other connectors.”

 

“Wow! Hey, Iku, you hear that? You should get one of these and give everyone in Gensokyo rides!”

 

“As tempting as that may be, Tenshi, I do not know where I would find the materials to create such a machine, nor do I know where I would find the time to oversee it.”

 

“Bah, I guess that’s true. It’d be a real shock if the Dragon gave you that kind of time off.”

 

Iku blinked in disbelief, then went back to staring out the window.

 

\---

 

“This…place is…”

 

Unable to find suitable words for the forest laid out in front of them, Tojiko let her sentence trail off. She felt a distinct spiritual darkness in the air, not chokingly oppressive, but at least uncomfortably so. Looking to her newfound companions, she could tell they felt it as well. Iku’s constant serenity had been replaced with a disturbed frown, while Tenshi’s eyes nervously darted to and fro, all trace of her excitement having vanished.

 

Renko frowned at her older sister. “Sumi, did we really have to bring them here? You know how depressing Aokigahara can be.”

 

“Yeah, but there are a few neat touristy locations. Besides, this might sound weird, but I think it’s an important place to visit every so often, to serve as a reminder that not everyone is as content as they may seem, and that all of us need help to keep on going, even if only sometimes.”

 

Iku made her way over a nearby sign, and reached out to touch it lightly while frowning further. “This land seems heavy with _yuurei_. They are hiding, but I can feel their presence. Mmm…I did not realize there would be such an unfortunate location in the outside world. What this signs suggests…”

 

Iku slowly shook her head and returned to the rest of the group. The six women stood there in solemn, uncomfortable silence, unsure of what to do next. Eventually Iku knelt down on the ground.

 

“I know not what can be done about what happens here. But I must, at least, wish well for those that have passed on, and for those who come here in the future, having given up all hope. May all their souls find the peace they seek.”

 

Iku then began to pray to the Dragon. Shortly, Tenshi knelt down beside her and began to pray herself. Tojiko then followed suit, and the three humans finally joined them, hoping that they could leave the forest a little better than they had left it.

 

\---

 

“Holy moley! Look at all the people here!”

 

The three non-humans gawked at the setting, never having seen so many people in one location, nor any commercial-use buildings of this size. And this was just the entrance! Everywhere they looked, people were hauling strange rectangular bags with wheels behind them, or holding weird small rectangular machines to their ears while talking to themselves, or waiting in line for the opportunity to have someone in some sort of uniform to wave a weird stick all around them before sending them further inside.

 

Tojiko looked to Sumireko. “You say this is where humans are able to ride flying machines?”

 

“Yep! Humans can’t fly on their own, but even if they could, this is a lot faster and more convenient. I just wish it wasn’t so expensive.”

 

“I doubt any person could reasonably fly themselves across the ocean to another country,” Mary added.

 

“Ah, so we could travel to China from here, instead of seeking out a ship? Or Korea?”

 

“China, Korea, or anywhere else you want. You could visit Russia, or India, or the United States, or Australia, or the Philippines, or Canada, the list goes on and on. With the right number of transferring flights, you can get pretty much anywhere in the world,” Renko said.

 

Tojiko blinked. “I, ah…I have never heard any of those names before, I have to admit.”

 

“Huh, really? Oh, right, I guess you wouldn’t have, if your time was so long ago. Maybe I should lend you a general Japanese history book when we get back.”

 

“If you are willing, that would be most appreciated.”

 

Having wandered a bit from the main group toward a large window, Tenshi squealed and pointed at an airplane that was just taking off. “Iku, look, look! They fly around in giant metal birds!”

 

“Incredible. Ah, I wish we had the time to ride in one, if they are anything like trains…”

 

“You really like these things, huh? Hah, I always figured love was in the air for you.”

 

Iku did a double-take, staring at Tenshi in irritated confusion. The celestial, however, did not notice, as her face was pressed against the glass, watching another plane coming down for a landing.

 

\---

 

“Welcome to Akihabara, ladies!”

 

Renko groaned. “I can’t believe we’re taking them **here** , Sumi. You are such a nerd.”

 

Sumireko stuck her tongue out at her little sister while Mary giggled. “Look who’s talking, Little Miss Bookworm. Besides, there’s no better tourist location for a bunch of Gensokyo natives, since they’re not going to get overwhelmed by all the flashing multicolored lights. They deal with that on a daily basis!”

 

The three non-humans looked all around the streets, handing themselves quite well as Sumireko had guessed despite the increase of people volume from the airport.

 

“This place seems exceedingly busy, by all definitions of the term,” Iku said. “What is to be done here?”

 

“This is where we get to cut loose and have fun! There’s all sorts of shops and arcades in this place.”

 

“I see. I am afraid that Tenshi and I are not currently carrying any currency, however. Money is not a necessity of life in Bhava-Agra.”

 

Tojiko shook her head. “I am in a similar predicament. The Taoist teachings hold the same view.”

 

Sumireko balked a bit, but didn’t let her smile leave her face entirely. “W-well…maybe we can cover you, just this once. You’ll all owe me, though! I don’t really have a lot myself.”

 

Tenshi pointed to a large sign on the side of a building that depicted a young, green-haired girl with a cat-eared hat and cat paw gloves. “I wanna go there first! She looks cute!”

 

“Ohoho, what do we have here?”

 

The group turned around to face the owner of the new voice, and Sumireko’s stomach sank into her shoes at the sight of a familiar group of girls from her school. The apparent-leader had a large grin on her face that was not at all friendly.

 

“Look at what the cat dragged in, girls! No surprise we’d see **you** here, Sumireko.”

 

Sumireko gritted her teeth. “Leave me alone, Iria. What do you want?”

 

“To see your desk empty for good, for starters.” Iria and her group laughed as Sumireko’s face started turning red.

 

Mary shifted closer to Renko, uncomfortable with the situation but unsure of what to do. The movement caught Iria’s attention.

 

“Oh, lookie! She even brought the two-”

 

“STOP!”

 

Sumireko had moved in front of her sister and her friend, rage slowly taking over her face as she stared daggers at the grinning Iria.

 

“Don’t you **dare** call them what you were about to call them. I will make you pay for the rest of your life.”

 

“Hah! As if you could. But hey, don’t blame me just because they couldn’t find any boys that would touch them and had to settle for each other.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Sumireko, barely holding back tears, looked over at the source of the shout, and found that Tenshi had stepped forward with a scowl. Iria sneered back at the interruption.

 

“You better leave them alone, or else you’ll have to deal with me!”

 

“Ooh, Shorty here things she can hang! I’m shaking in my shoes. Who the hell dressed you this morning, anyway? Did you just fall out of your closet and decided to keep whatever you took with you on the way down to the floor?”

 

The group of girls renewed their mocking laughter, until Iria’s was interrupted by an incredibly strong pull on her collar. She suddenly found herself staring into Tenshi’s blazing eyes, no more than a few centimeters away from her own. Her latest laugh died on her lips, evaporating on the strangely intimidating aura the strange woman was exuding. How the hell did she get so close so quickly?

 

“If you take another shot at my height, I will knock your teeth so far down your throat you’ll have to use your asshole to chew your food.”

 

No one in either group said a word as Tenshi stared death straight at Iria, who started to sweat a little bit. After a few seconds, Tenshi shoved Iria away, letting go her grip on the school girl’s collar. Iria stumbled backward, but managed to catch herself before she fell over or knocked into any of her friends.

 

“Now get the hell out of here, you shitheads.”

 

Iria’s eyes darted back and forth between Sumireko and Tenshi. Eventually, they settled on the former.

 

“Need your friends to fight for you now, huh, Sumireko? Feh.” Iria gestured to the rest of her group. “Come on, girls, let’s get going. We have better uses of our time than to clean up this garbage.”

 

The six women watched as Iria’s crew sauntered off into the crowds, Tenshi still staring daggers at the backs of their heads. Iku moved to comfort the shaken Sumireko, placing a hand on her shoulder

 

“You may relax, Miss Usami. They are gone now. I am sorry that this has happened to you.”

 

“Sis, who…who were those girls?”

 

Sumireko took several more deep breaths, calming herself somewhat. She looked back to her sister, who saw that she was still a bit flush.

 

“Just some jerks from my class. They’re not important. I can’t wait until this semester is over so I can graduate and never see them again.”

 

Tojiko shook her head. “What shameful behavior. Those girls need to learn that there are consequences for such actions. If I may ask, Miss Usami, what was their leader about to say?”

 

Sumireko jolted a bit at the question, but after a couple of seconds of silence, she nodded. “All right. I think I can tell you. But I won’t do it out loud. Hold on.”

 

Sumireko made her way next to Tojiko and whispered into the ghost’s ear. The others watched a fascinating display as Tojiko’s face slowly turned white with anger until Sumireko pulled away.

 

“You are serious?! What a vile, ugly thing to say! They had better hope we do not meet again!”

 

Iku nodded with a frown. “I think it is best that we all put this incident behind us, and continue on as if nothing happened. Please, Miss Usami, show us what this Akihabara has to offer.”

 

Sumireko considered, and nodded, a small smile slowly returning to her face as she gently wrapped an arm around a slightly-shaken Renko. “…Yeah, that’s probably for the best. Come on, follow me. I know all of the best arcades around here. Once we’ve hit up that shop Tenshi wanted, we’ll really get to relieve some stress.”

 

\---

 

As the afternoon began to bleed into evening, the six women started making their way back to the appropriate station to begin the long journey home through substantially emptier streets, spirits lightened and arms burdened with various small purchases and prizes.

 

“This has been the best birthday ever! Thank you so much, Iku! And thank you too, humans. You’ve been really great hosts.”

 

“Yes, thank you all for the experiences of this day,” Tojiko added. “I have learned a great deal about how far this country has come, and it warms my heart to see it flourishing so. The Crown Prince will surely be pleased to hear about all of this.”

 

Sumireko smiled. “Hey, thanks to all of you for joining us. It was a lot of fun having you along, and to be able to meet some Gensokyo people I didn’t know very well. Or at all, haha! I just wish it didn’t have to end so soon.”

 

“Yes, it would be wonderful if we could continue our adventures,” Iku said. “But even without the given time limit, we would need to return to our duties in Bhava-Agra and Gensokyo. Still, let us not let this take away from our experiences for the day.”

 

“Right, right. Hey, Renko, Mary! Did you two have fun too?”

 

“Oh yeah, we-eek!”

 

Sumireko whirled at the screech to see Renko and Mary being hauled into a side street the group had just passed by a pair of muscular arms. Dashing back to the entrance to the side street, she found Iria and her gang waiting there, with Renko and Mary struggling and flailing against their two upper-classmen captors.

 

“RENKO! MARY!”

 

The two could only grunt in response. Iria glared over at their captors, all traces of fake mirth gone.

 

“Sotsu. Tsubaki. Rough the lovebirds up if any of them try anything funny.”

 

“You got it, boss!”

 

“Not a problem.”

 

Iria looked back to Sumireko, who had started crying.

 

“Please, Iria, let them go!”

 

“Psh, nah. There’s no fun in that. Though I guess we could be convinced…how badly do you want it?”

 

“I’ll do anything! Anything! Just, please, don’t hurt them!”

 

“Anything, you say? Heh heh…that’s a good answer. Hmm, what to do, what to do…”

 

Through the tears and terror, Sumireko became vaguely away that the non-humans had stood beside her, Tenshi pointing a finger at Iria.

 

“You coward! Had to take prisoners just because you know I’d clean your clock, huh?”

 

“Shut your trap, shrimp, I ain’t afraid of you. This is just being prudent. I’d take you out anytime, anywhere.”

 

“Fine then!”

 

Tenshi opened her pointing hand and produced a keystone.

 

“Let’s go!”

 

“What the fu-”

 

Tsubaki’s sentence never finished, as Tenshi flung the keystone with all her might, smashing it into the captor’s face and knocking her out instantly, freeing Renko from her grip. Sotsu barely registered what had happened to her comrade, as she was still trying to mentally piece together where the stone had come from. The delay cost her, as before she was able to do anything to her hostage in retaliation, a shawl whipped in, smacking her across the face and forcing her to drop Mary, who skittered forward a bit and tried to curl herself into a small a ball as possible next to Renko to get out of the way of danger. Snarling and covering her face with a hand, Sotsu never saw or heard the shawl lash out again, wrapping itself around her wrist and pouring electricity into her body, quickly knocking her out as well.

 

Iria could only watch with horror as her two classmates were dropped in a matter of seconds. She still had the advantage of numbers behind her, though, so she looked back at Sumireko and pulled out a knife.

 

“You…!”

 

Iria got no further than that as a lightning bolt struck the metal blade, knocking it out of her hands immediately. She barely had time to grab at her own hand to soothe it from the shock before a second one struck her directly, knocking her out. Tenshi produced another keystone.

 

“Who else wants some?!”

 

None of the remaining girls took the celestial up on her offer, opting instead to scatter out the other end of the side street. Sumireko ran over to Renko and Mary and pulled them close to her in a tight hug.

 

“Are you okay? Are you okay??”

 

The three non-humans watched the tearful reunion to make sure all was well, before Iku turned to Tenshi.

 

“That was quite risky, you know.”

 

“Eh, it was no big deal. I had the shot lined up just fine. Besides, with everything she said, she made it clear she wanted to rock. I just obliged.”

 

“…Are you doing that intentionally just to annoy me?”

 

“Doing what?”

 

“Pardon me, Lady Nagae, Lady Hinanawi.”

 

The Bhavagrans looked over to see Tojiko has slung Iria’s body over her shoulder. The grinning ghost pointed further down the alley at a dumpster.

 

“It seems we have left a mess here. It would not do to simply leave such garbage lying around. I believe we should clean up after ourselves.”

 

Tenshi returned the grin and made her way over to the other fallen bodies, hoisting them both up with a little effort. Iku sighed, but followed after her without objection.

 

\---

 

“Really, I’ll never forget this, all of you.”

 

The countryside rushing by through the train window went unnoticed this time around, partially due to the falling darkness, but also due to the conversation and camaraderie of those holding it. Sumireko had spent much of it apologizing and expressing her gratitude, to the point where even Tenshi was starting to get embarrassed.

 

Renko, on the other hand, was unfortunate enough to have a sleeping Mary leaning up against her shoulder, as it forced her to curb her enthusiasm.

 

“Seriously, though, that was **so cool**! The way you can shoot lightning bolts and use that shawl like a whip and make rocks appear out of nowhere! It was all so incredible! I can’t believe I ever doubted Sumi about you!”

 

Iku chuckled. “Truly, it is of no concern. It is understandable that you would be skeptical of such things.”

 

Renko looked to her older sister. “Sumi…I’m sorry for all the stuff I’ve said about Gensokyo and the other similar things you’ve told me about. You were always telling the truth, and I never believed you. I must have sounded so mean.”

 

“It’s okay, Renko. And really, I’m sorry that I can get so wrapped up in it that I can failure to be a good sister.”

 

“Are you kidding? Look at all the cool people you’ve befriended! That’s not something a failure could say!”

 

The blushes on the three non-humans deepened just a bit as the train continued on through the night.

 

\---

 

“Oh, you’re back.”

 

Reimu looked up from her final chores of the night to find the three outside-world travelers on her front porch, Tenshi in particular looking mighty pleased with herself. Miko and Futo looked up from where they were sitting as well.

 

“Indeed, thou hast returned! Tojiko, did you fare well?”

 

“Of course. It was such an incredible experience, I hardly know where to begin…”

 

As the Taoists wandered off, presumably to head home, Reimu looked to Tenshi. “So what’s got your nose in the air, huh?”

 

“I’m a hero, that’s what! I bet you didn’t think I had it in me, did you?”

 

Reimu blinked, then looked to Iku, who nodded with a smile.

 

“It is true. There was a near-disaster late in the day, but the Eldest Daughter’s quick thinking and precision aim helped turn the tide so quickly that we were able to come out of the conflict completely unscathed.”

 

“Damn right! Who knows, maybe I’ll take up hero-ing it up here, too, now that I’ve felt what it’s like. You better watch out that I don’t steal your job, Reimu!”

 

“Sure, whatever. I guess if Iku is saying it, though, then it must be true. Good on you for…doing whatever it is that you did. Really.”

 

Tenshi nodded with a prideful grin.

 

“Regardless, Miss Reimu, it had been a very long day, and I believe we must depart for our own home in order to get a proper night’s sleep. Be well until we meet again.”

 

“Later!”

 

“Just make sure to stay out of trouble.”

 

\---

 

“So you were able to acquire some historical reference material? Well done, Tojiko!”

 

“Thank you very much, Crown Prince.” Tojiko grinned. “And that is not all. I also came into a little statue of you, and was able to bring it back with me.”

 

“Really? How marvelous! Thank you! May I see it?”

 

“Certainly.”

 

Tojiko reached into a pocket and pulled out a small figure of a mustachioed man with a ritual baton and a _tate eboshi_. She handed it to a suddenly less-enthusiastic Miko.

 

“This hails from a small territory named Akihabara. It seems they have not forgotten their roots. I believe it would do well in the front room of our dojo. Would you not agree, Crown Prince?”

 

\---

 

_“Look, she’s asleep again. Doesn’t she ever learn?”_

_“Hey, be careful with that talk. Don’t let her hear you. I heard she has some batshit friends.”_

_“Bah, you worry too much.”_

_“No foolin’. You notice the three absences today? I heard they’re responsible for it.”_

_“Wait, really? You’re serious? Wow…”_

 

\---

 

“Hey, Mary?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’ve been thinking.”

 

“Oh? What about?”

 

“About Gensokyo, and those people. We have to get there somehow.”

 

“That would be nice, but do you really think it’s possible?”

 

“I didn’t think **they** were possible.”

 

“Haha, that’s true. How would we do it, though?”

 

“Well, you have a bit of a supernatural ability, right?”

 

“I…guess. I can’t really do a lot with it, though.”

 

“Maybe you just need some time. Or maybe we could find some way to help us get there directly.”

 

“Mmm…”

 

“Hey, maybe we could join Sumi’s club! It would just be abandoned when she graduates, and it feels wrong to let that happen to it when she was right all along.”

 

“Ooh, that’s not a bad idea. But maybe we can worry about all that after our own exams are over.”

 

“Hahaha, sorry. I’m getting a little ahead of myself, I guess.”

 

“That’s okay. You know I love your ambition.”

 

“Mary…”

 

“By the way, Renko, what time is it?”

 

“Uh…10:56 and 37 seconds. No, 39.”

 

“That’s what I thought. That sounds to me like it’s time to go to sleep.”

 

“Ahaha, yeah, that’s true.”

 

“Good night, Renko.”

 

“Good night, Mary.”


End file.
